Main Question
Is the attitude of Zimbabwean citizens about the trajectory of the country impacted by economic situations?
Is the attitude of Zimbabwean citizens about the trajectory of the country impacted by economic situations?
Due to Zimbabwe’s economic situation as a developing country and recent challenges with corruption in the private and political sectors, it is expected that economic factors (variables Q4A and Q6) will have an impact on respondent’s overall view of the country (variable Q3).
Zimbabwe is a democracy in Southern Africa that has faced political turmoil. The country has presidential elections approaching in July 2023. It is important for both the political party in power as well as opposition parties to monitor public opinion on topics of general interest.
Afrobarometer Data, Zimbabwe, Round 7, 2016/2017, available at http://www.afrobarometer.org.
The data used is from Afrobarometer which conducts surveys across the African continent. This research used the Round 7 Afrobarometer survey in Zimbabwe, conducted in 2016 and 2017. The specific variables examined are listed below.
These frequency tables show the spread of the data for the primary variables under study.
| Dependent variable: | |||
| gen.outlook | |||
| (1) | (2) | (3) | |
| pres.econ | 0.474*** | 0.403*** | 0.419*** |
| (0.029) | (0.034) | (0.034) | |
| past.econ | 0.160*** | 0.164*** | |
| (0.040) | (0.040) | ||
| urban.rural | -0.326*** | ||
| (0.098) | |||
| Constant | 0.649*** | 0.393*** | 0.872*** |
| (0.085) | (0.106) | (0.178) | |
| Observations | 1,200 | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| R2 | 0.180 | 0.191 | 0.198 |
| Adjusted R2 | 0.179 | 0.190 | 0.196 |
| Residual Std. Error | 1.630 (df = 1198) | 1.620 (df = 1197) | 1.613 (df = 1196) |
| F Statistic | 263.285*** (df = 1; 1198) | 141.221*** (df = 2; 1197) | 98.616*** (df = 3; 1196) |
| Note: | p<0.1; p<0.05; p<0.01 | ||
Based on the data presented, attitudes towards economic situations are closely correlated and proven statistically significant with overall attitudes towards the country’s success and trajectory, measured through Afrobarometer survey data.
Multiple additional variables should also be examined in order to fully examine the relationship between economics and social and political situations, but the variables discussed here provide an important foundation of the overall economic attitude in Zimbabwe.
Impact of economic situations on political and social attitudes in Zimbabwe